Dragon fruit is one of 12 Vietnamese fruit and vegetable products exported to China. Photo: TL

Increasing exported products

Currently, Vietnam and China have signed 21 Memorandums of Understanding and Protocols on export and import of agricultural, forestry and fishery products between the two countries. Currently, many Vietnamese agricultural, forestry and fishery products are exported to China, including 12 fruit and vegetable items (including: watermelon, mangosteen, black jelly, durian, fresh bananas, sweet potato, dragon fruit, rambutan, mango, lychee, longan and jackfruit); bird's nest, fish meal and a number of products for the production and processing of animal feed; dairy and seafood products.

Notably, at a recent meeting between representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Vietnam) and the General Administration of Customs China (GACC), the two sides agreed on cooperation in trade and opening the market for agricultural, forestry and fishery products of the two countries.

Accordingly, the two sides will soon complete procedures to sign the Protocol on plant quarantine requirements for Vietnamese fresh coconuts and frozen durians exported to China. For passion fruit and chili products that have been piloted for export, the two sides will promote the completion of procedures to soon sign these two documents. At the same time, the two sides will coordinate to complete the Protocol on exporting crocodiles, raw bird's nests, poultry and exploited aquatic products from Vietnam to China.

The Chinese side will assign technical agencies to review and soon process applications for exporting agricultural and fishery products of Vietnamese enterprises to China to facilitate trade cooperation for agricultural and forestry and fishery products. The Chinse side will agree on the plan to remove difficulties and obstacles for Chinese sturgeon exported to Vietnam, thereby, supporting the Vietnamese side to strengthen its capacity in verifying sturgeon species.

At the meeting, Hoang Trung, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (Vietnam) and Trieu Tang Lien, Deputy Director General of the General Administration of Customs China signed the Protocol on quarantine requirements for monkeys exported from Vietnam to China and witnessed the initial signing of negotiations on the Protocol on Phytosanitary Requirements for fresh coconuts exported from Vietnam to China.

Product quality is standardized

In the context of many major economies in the world facing difficulties, causing a strong impact on Vietnam's foreign trade activities, exports to China continue to be a bright spot.

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first five months of 2024, the import-export turnover of agriculture, forestry and fishery products between the two countries increased 2.9% year-on-year to US$6.2 billion. Of which, Vietnam's exports to the Chinese market rose 8.6% year-on-year to US$4.6 billion, and the imports increased by 31.5% year-on-year to US$1.6 million.

With a population of more than 1.4 billion people, China is an important export market of Vietnam, especially for agricultural, forestry and fishery products. To take full advantages when exporting these products to China, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recommends that businesses, localities and industry associations pay special attention to quality of raw material areas, traceability and codes of growing areas, processing and packaging facilities.

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association said that China is a market with high and rigorous standards, so businesses should reduce their dependence and update new market trends, aiming to produce high quality products.

Standardizing product quality under China's requirements is the most important solution to achieve high efficiency in official exports as well as expand more other products exported to the market in the near future. For major exported product as durian, the maintaining quality stability and monitoring quality becomes extremely important, especially in the context that Vietnamese durian has to compete harshly with durian exported from Thailand, Malaysia, and Myanmar to the Chinese market.